1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention pertain to the field of computer systems. More particularly, the invention is directed to a system and method for generating and distributing personalized media using computers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern systems generate and utilize multimedia data in a plurality of different ways. For example, users can currently communicate information to and hear responses from systems that generate audio data and transmit that data back to the user over the telephone. Typically, existing systems utilize a mapping between one form of data (e.g. numerical information or text data) and a set of audio files to generate an audio file for playback. One common scenario where this occurs is when calling a bank to check bank account balances or transfer money. The system at the bank may, for example, obtain a user's account information via touchtone input and audibly playback that users account information for purposes of confirmation. Existing systems for building and distributing such audio files use the input to map to a set of prerecorded audio tracks and assemble a message for playback. The end result is often times an awkward sounding message that fails to seamlessly integrate the prerecorded audio tracks. In addition to obvious transitions between clips, gaps of silence and intonation differences make this type of personalized media unagreeable to the human ear.
Existing solutions do not provide a way to generate an audio file that seamlessly integrates a plurality of audio files in a way that makes the generated file sound like an original recording with undetectable transitions, rather than a computer generated message. Moreover, current systems do not personalize the content of the generated audio file based on user information automatically obtained from the device or software program utilized to access the system and/or context information associated with the user. For example, current systems do not provide a mechanism for automatically generating and disseminating a personalized ring tones or ringback tones in real-time or in an asynchronous manner.
As a result of these limitations and others there is a need for a system and method for generating and distributing personalized media that is capable of seamlessly integrating media clips for real-time and asynchronous distribution.